School receives assistance from veterans

Tuesday

Oct 29, 2013 at 6:00 AM

The Las Animas School District Activity Fund received a boost from local veterans, including those from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #2411 and incarcerated veterans at Corrections Corporation of America's (CCA) Bent County Correctional Facility Monday evening in the amount of $600 to benefit needy families in the district.

By Joe Zemba

The Las Animas School District Activity Fund received a boost from local veterans, including those from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #2411 and incarcerated veterans at Corrections Corporation of America's (CCA) Bent County Correctional Facility Monday evening in the amount of $600 to benefit needy families in the district.

"There are several incarcerated veterans at our facility who have chosen to serve by giving back to their local community in order to earn back some of their former honor," said Mauer. "We had approximately 50 veterans donate from their wages to give back."

In addition to the funds received from incarcerated veterans at Bent County Correctional Facility, veterans who are members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #2411 in Las Animas donated money, which will be earmarked to assist needy families who are unable to pay the activity fee required by Las Animas schools.

The fee allows students in the district to not only participate in athletics, but allows them an activity pass for entry in to all school related athletic events.

Money raised by the school through the activity fee process is used for facility upkeep and allows the district to maintain uniforms, among other purposes.

Furthermore, the board heard from District Maintenance Director Lynn Brundage who reported heating concerns at Las Animas High School and results from a recent fire safety and health inspection.

According to Brundage, extensive maintenance is needed on heating units in the high school, including those in the girl's locker room, gymnasium, and cafeteria.

As the units have become outdated, replacement will be difficult and cost the district several thousands of dollars to repair.

"The high school is in its 46th year," said Nickell. "The majority of the companies who originally manufactured some of the units in our school have since upgraded or are no longer in business. There are a lot of things going on at the school. We have heating, plumbing, and electrical issues, all of which are going to cost us a lot of money in the long run."

In the meantime, the board agreed to pursue ways to improve the heating and cooling units in the cafeteria and will address other issues as they arise.

Also, Brundage advised the board of a recent fire safety inspection at the high school and health safety inspection at the elementary school, which revealed minor issues.

At the high school, the inspection revealed several ceiling tiles missing from closet areas that will need to be replaced in order to be in compliance. At the elementary school, inspectors asked that the district update their Material Safety Data Sheet and expressed concerns with the large amount of paper on the walls throughout the school.

Nickell reported on the district October count which calculates the number of students attending Las Animas schools to be reported to the Colorado Department of Education.

The count reflects the number of students who attended Las Animas Schools within the window of five days prior to October 1 and five after October 1.

The total number of students who attend Las Animas Schools is 511, including 62 Jump Start students, 277 students k-12, 63 students 7-8, and 109 students 9-12. The total number for state funding is 449, as Jump Start students to not calculate into the total.

As compared to last year, the district lost roughly 20 students, which translates into approximately $140,000 less funding as compared to 2012-2013. The loss of funding was projected by the district in years past.

The next scheduled meeting of the Las Animas School District Board of Education will be November 18 at 6 p.m. in the Las Animas Middle School Commons Area.